1883.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
291 
Protecting Peaches from Curculios. 
There are many places where perfect 
peaches cannot be grown on account of 
the curculio. In Southern Illinois thou¬ 
sands of bushels are sent to market every 
year which, from this cause, are not fit 
to be eaten. A few curculios left undisturbed 
will despoil the trees of a heavy setting 
of fruit. The beetle winters in leaves and 
rubbish, and in the spring feeds on the peach 
leaves as soon as they begin to grow, and de¬ 
posits its eggs in the young peaches, causing 
the fall of many before they are larger than 
the end of one’s little finger. After the fruit 
falls, the worm leaves it, goes 
into the ground, and in a few 
weeks comes out a perfect in¬ 
sect, ready to repeat the pro¬ 
cess. The second brood comes 
out in the latter part of the 
summer. [This is a point upon 
which entomologists differ. 
Some claiming that there is 
but a single brood.—E ds.] It 
is estimated that eveiy female 
curculio has at least 200 pro¬ 
geny by autumn which sur¬ 
vive all the snares set for them. 
Hence the importance of de¬ 
stroying as many of the spring 
beetles as possible. This is 
done in three ways : by traps, 
by destroying the fallen 
peaches, and by catching the 
curculios on a sheet. 
As soon as the trees blos¬ 
som, plow and harrow the or¬ 
chard, and with a hoe, level, 
smooth, and pat down hard 
a circle of lj ft. around the 
base of each tree. Remove all 
leaves and rubbish that would 
afford a hiding place; then 
take chips, pieces of wood, 
bark, or better, corn-cobs 
'enough to encircle the tree 
close against the collar. The 
curculios ascend the tree at 
night to feed, and come down 
to hide in the morning. Find¬ 
ing the traps, they go under 
them, where they can be 
readily found and killed. All 
fallen fruit should be gather¬ 
ed and cooked to kill the 
worms. By using the traps, 
many hundreds of curculios 
may be killed before the cloth 
can be used, thus keeping them from doing 
harm to the peaches. 
As the weather becomes warm, the curcu¬ 
lios stay longer in the trees, and seldom 
visit the ground except in stormy or windy 
weather. If only a few trees are to be pro¬ 
tected, any kind of a white cloth can be laid 
under them, when a blow on the limbs with a 
cushioned mallet will cause the curculios to 
drop on the cloth, and they may be easily 
found on its white surface. 
If many trees are to be protected it will 
pay to make a “ catcher.” This is a light 
frame made of wood and wire in the form of 
an inverted umbrella, covered with sheeting, 
to be suspended from a man’s shoulders by 
straps, with a slit from one side to the cen¬ 
ter to admit a trunk, and a hole in the center 
for a man’s body. The limbs are struck as 
before, and after jarring about BO trees, 
the operator stops and kills the curculios. 
The “ catcher ” should be started in the morn¬ 
ing, as soon as it is light enough to see, and 
contined until it is so warm as to allow the cur¬ 
culios to fly, when the work is suspended 
until early evening. If the trees are not too 
large, one man can thoroughly protect 500 
during an entire season, at a cost not to ex¬ 
ceed 20 cents per tree. T. G., Cobden, Ill. 
Our Wild Lilies. 
In most of the Northern States there are 
three native lilies. The tallest species, the 
“ American Turk’s Cap Lily” (Lilium super¬ 
THE WILD YELLOW, OR CANADA LILY. 
bum), sometimes six feet high or taller, with 
twenty or more nodding flowers, is found in 
swamps and boggy places. The “Wild 
Orange-red Lily ” (L. Philadelphicum), is 
from one to three feet high, and has one 
to three erect flowers. This is found in 
dry ground, and is not rare in pastures and 
sandy fields. In both these the usual color is 
reddish-orange, with numerous dark purple 
spots on the inside. The “Wild Yellow,” or 
‘ ‘ Canada Lily ” (L. Canadense), grows two to 
five feet tall, and with one to five nodding 
flowers; these are usually orange-yellow, with 
very dark brownish spots. This is the lily of 
moist meadows and low grounds. We have 
before mentioned the great improvement of 
the “Turk’s Cap” under cultivation, and 
find that the alterations effected in the 
last-named, and commonest of the three, are 
still more striking. The shape of the flower, 
as shown in the engraving, is quite different 
from that of the “ Turk’s Cap,” in which the 
parts are all curved backwards for their 
whole length, while in this they are only re¬ 
curved from near the middle. In the wild 
state the “ Canada Lily” varies greatly in 
color, and flowers may be found from yellow 
to very deep orange-red, with many interme¬ 
diate shades, and they also differ in the 
abundance and size of the spots. One of our 
friends was so fortunate as to find, a few 
years ago, a lily of this species with white 
flowers. If our flower-loving readers will 
make a collection of the different forms of 
this common lily, they will be surprised at 
the variety it will present. By giving the 
bulbs a rich soil, where they do not have to 
contend with other plants, they produce 
much stronger and taller stems, while the 
number of flowers is increased. It is not 
rare for those in the garden to have as many 
as twenty flowers. As a rule, the best time 
to take up such plants is in autumn, when 
the bulbs are at rest. It is often difficult to 
mark lilies in such a manner that the bulbs 
may be readily found in the fall, and we 
think it best not to run the risk, but to take 
up the bulbs when the plant is found. If the 
foliage is not injured, the bulb will ripen 
after transplanting in this unseasonable man¬ 
ner. Our friends on the Pacific coast have 
the advantage over us in the number and 
greater beauty of their wild lilies, but very 
few are aware of the beauty of the Eastern 
species when given a place in the garden. 
The Care of Seed Onions. 
The cluster of seeds at the top of a ripen¬ 
ing onion plant is quite heavy, and as 
the stalks are from three to five feet high, 
according to the variety, they are apt to be 
prostrated by a wind, and many of the seeds 
wasted. To prevent this, drive stakes at each 
end of the row, and every eight or ten feet 
of its length. Pass some cheap twine along 
each side of the row, making it fast to the 
stakes. The twine should be within a few 
inches of the seed clusters. 
The seed is known to be mature when tlio 
capsules or pods lose their green color and 
turn yellowish ; when some of the pods break 
open, the heads in which this occurs may be 
cut. If the crop ripens unevenly, it may be 
necessary to go over it two or three times, 
and cut those that are ready. As some of tlio 
seed will shell out and be lost, it is well to 
collect the clusters in a bucket. In cutting, 
leave six or eight inches of the stalk attached 
to the head ; as the partly-matured seeds will 
then ripen up much better than if the stem 
were cut close. Spread the seed clusters upon 
the floor of an airy loft. If the floor is not 
tight, spread out a barn sheet or other cloth, 
to prevent the scattered seeds from being lost. 
When the pods are quite dry, they are to 
be thrashed, and the seeds winnowed by run¬ 
ning them through a fanning-mill at least 
twice. Put the seeds, a few pounds at 
a time, in a bucket or tub of water, stirring 
for a short time; allow the good seed to 
settle, and gently pour off the water with 
the chaff and imperfect seeds which float on 
the surface. This process of separating the 
good from the worthless seed is a most im¬ 
portant one. The seeds are then to be spread 
thinly on boards or on sieves, to dry, and 
only stored when quite free from dampness. 
